Ben Simmons’ nightmare postseason sealed the Philadelphia 76ers’ fate this year, and now one report is making things look even worse for him.
Yaron Weitzman of FOX Sports reported Monday that Simmons may have helped push ex-teammate Jimmy Butler out of Philadelphia. Simmons was reportedly frustrated at being relegated to off-ball duty with Butler around, which contributed to the team’s decision not to re-sign Butler in 2019. Weitzman adds that management was worried about how Simmons would handle Butler monopolizing crunchtime playmaking for multiple years.
Butler eventually ended up on the Miami Heat, leading them all the way to the NBA Finals in his first year. Meanwhile, Simmons and the Sixers still have yet to go past the second round since Simmons was drafted in 2016.
Of course, Butler had his own issues with Simmons, so he might have left either way. But banking on Simmons instead of Butler as the long-term co-star next to Joel Embiid may be a decision that Philly wants to have back.
